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In September 2003, Channel 4
broadcast ZigZag TV
Production's, program called The Darker Side of Stage Hypnosis.
Many comments have been made and we post some here.
WHAT PEOPLE SAID AFTER SEEING THE TV
PROGRAMME.
Very
one-sided.
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I thought your part of the program looked great but
was set in a rather negative context which tends to be the way these
sorts of programs are done. They identify
one or two rotten apples and generalise to
everybody. And introduce rather tenuous cause and effect
arguments.
Still it looked like everybody on your Stage Hypnosis course enjoyed
themselves.
M Breen
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Perception is Reality.
The program was aiming to
support the motion that “Stage Hypnotism is dangerous” – therefore the
data collected and presented would need to support this view. The
title of the program said it all! Where was the balance?
Hypnosis – like
photography – is a technology. You can pick it up quickly and start
using it in different ways. How you use it is a matter of values,
ethics and judgment. Do you want to photograph colourful flowers, the
furthest star in the galaxy or some depraved act involving an animal?
Our behaviour reflects our values.
I’m all for ethical,
entertaining stage hypnosis – but this program didn’t help stage
hypnosis or, through association, other applications of hypnosis, e.g.
hypnotherapy . This is no reflection on Phillip’s training and all our
hard work simply there was an agenda at work over which we had no
control.
As I said, perception is
reality and people who had a negative view of hypnosis, especially
stage hypnosis will use it to confirm their world-view. Neutral people
may or may not have been swayed; and those who view it positively will
The irony is we all have
immensely powerful minds of which we use only a tiny proportion – and
we didn’t get the manual on how it works, and how best to use it.
When’s TV program about “Choosing to use your mind for a change”
coming out??
Good luck with your work.
Tony
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Hi
What a show !
Who knew if you relax, you may die ?
TV is there for people to escape
from reality, and boy did they escape. I just think it would have been
nice if Channel 4 had rather educated the
public and not scared them. So we have done
a course for a low price…I must say for one, I have learned a lot from
Phillip and would do it again any day! I also think that the reason
why they only showed less than 5min of our show, is cause it was a
proper, good fun and innocent STAGE HYPNOSIS SHOW!
This TV program was so much
motivation for me, cause now I can proof almost every person that I
know wrong. I am planning to do a 3 day long Stage Hypnosis show in
South Africa, so if any of you Stage Hypnotists out there want to do a
double act with me in South Africa, your welcome, just let me know.
Frederik Botha
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I
thought the progam was funny in
parts and in other parts showed that people can be dumb and
irresponsible regardless of their chosen profession. When they guy
in Magaluf said that stage hypnosis is dead, I thought "Yes, it is
the way you do it - and good riddance!"
I
think the way forward is for more engaging, clever variety acts
rather than the "you're a chicken" of the past. We are "stage
hypnotists - the next generation"!
I
wouldn't say it was negative, but the people certainly believed they
had been harmed and after all we can't hold up the principles of
coaching and therapy and say that they're wrong, can we? If that's
what they believe then it's true, for them, isn't it? I have to say
that the woman who was age regressed shouldn't have booked a stage
hypnotist if she didn't agree with it. I would also say that the
people they picked on as being poor exponents of the art did look
pretty amateurish to me. On the other hand, any amateur can buy some
shotguns and run a clay pigeon shooting course. Perhaps stage
hypnotism does need to be more open and accessible so that people
know what they're getting themselves into. Yes, it's harmless fun
for the people who expect it to be. I guess it's the same argument
as for legalising cannabis - if it's in the open then people can
make a free choice. On the other hand, isn't it the "black art" myth
that helps market the stage shows?
Do
the 'garage/holiday/neighbours from hell' programs put people off
buying cars, going on holidays or living in houses? No...they're
just entertaining TV........
I
thought it interesting about the guy in South
Wales. One of the "before" photos showed
him with a beer in one hand, wearing a bra over his T shirt, yet
there's obviously nothing wrong with that kind of behaviour.
The
sex guy was quite ridiculous, although at least he was honest about
his aims and morals! Again, at least people know what they're
getting with him.
Pete
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You and your grads
came out of the programme very well, considering the "frame" the
entire subject of stage hypnotism was put into. I commend you for
putting it all together so quickly and so professionally. As you say:
if you do something with integrity and a positive intention, then you
can feel justly proud of the outcome.
I am a broadcast
journalist, having worked for the BBC and ITN, and I am not at all
surprised that they filmed you for 20 hours and only showed five
minutes or so. That's common practice in TV land.
I believe,
unfortunately, that a programme all about stage hypnosis would
never have been commissioned if it was to show what I believe is the
"real truth" about stage hypnosis. The real truth is that stage
hypnosis is completely safe, non-mystical, and in most cases is good
entertainment. Stage hypnosis is not dangerous. There is no evidence,
anywhere, to support this claim. Only hearsay. But that doesn't make
good telly, sadly! There's no story, no angle, unless it's "bad".
Generally, newspapers and television news are less interested in
finding the real truth, as they are in finding angles and negative
stories. No papers would ever be sold if they only reported good
news!!
Clearly, Zig Zag
started this project with a purpose to show "the dark side" rather
than investigate the subject with an unbiased approach and with
integrity. It was a shoddy programme in my opinion. Journalistically,
it was lazy, and uncovered nothing new and lacked substance.
All the negative
stories reported in the programme, eg Sharon Taburn and the disgusting
Alex Leroy, are old stories that have been on various programmes
before. There is no evidence to support any of them, but this was
casually and shamefully glossed over by the programme makers who used
filming techniques, lighting, music and their script to manipulate the
audience into concluding that stage hypnotism is dangerous. In fact,
Alex Leroy is well-known in TV circles for being a self-publicist. He
exposed himself on a Kilroy programme, and when I worked at the BBC,
management issued a memo banning him from appearing in any programmes
and warning programme-makers to steer clear.
Regarding the title
of the programme: - I remember Paul McKenna talking about the Channel
4 programme, "The Word", where he was about to perform on live TV, but
was introduced by the floor manager who said: "This is Paul McKenna
and he's going to hypnotise you in a moment, so I hope you're wearing
clean underwear!!" Nobody volunteered until Paul positively reframed
the experience, saying "hypnosis makes you better dancers!!". Paul
also said he never takes part in talk shows like Kilroy and Trisha,
because often the very title of the programme is something like "the
dangers of hypnotism" which presupposes negativity. Sadly, "the dark
side" is about as negative and biased a title they could have come up
with!
I attended Paul
McKenna's high court trial and was absolutely fascinated by some of
the ridiculous views that so-called "eminent" and "expert"
psychiatrists were saying. In particular, Dr Gruzelier, who was
featured in the programme. In fact, I distinctly remember the judge
and entire courtroom in fits of laughter at something he said which
was so absurd.
In contrast, Paul's
witness, Graham Wagstaff, was "an incredibly impressive witness"
according to the judge. Wagstaff believes, as do I and the majority of
present-day stage hypnotists, that stage hypnosis works through social
compliance. In fact there is a stage hypnotist called Martin Taylor,
who does the whole show without an induction, because he tells the
audience at the start of the show that hypnosis doesn't exist. But if
it doesn't exist, how can it be dangerous?! This is the point the
programme makers shamefully chose to ignore. Wagstaff was featured in
the programme, but his intelligent views on stage hypnosis were not
heard on this programme for more than a few seconds.
So to sum up, I think
you came out of the programme very well, and I thought your graduates
did a very impressive job considering such a short training. Let's
hope that at some point soon, a broadcaster will choose to investigate
what stage hypnosis is REALLY about, rather than continuing to mislead
and alarm the public unnecessarily.
Very best wishes,
A TV Presenter
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OTHER COMMENTS
ARE WELCOME
CALL Phillip Holt NOW
on 07061 003 003 for further details.
EMAIL
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